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Want to be a spy? ASIO is hiring

The ASIO foyer with a clothes rack hanging a 'traditional' spy outfit. A man sits at a computer and a woman peeps through a hole in the wall.
Australia’s intelligence agency has joined Instagram to recruit the next generation of spies (Soure: Getty)

Australia’s intelligence agency has launched a new “Why I Spy” recruitment campaign by joining Instagram.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) chief spy Mike Burgess said intelligence agents have changed with the world.

"Trench coats and fedoras are a fun throwback to our past, but not the reality anymore," Burgess said.

"Our spies are your neighbours and friends and members of your community. They are carers, parents, grandparents and community volunteers."

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Employees include former nurses, zoologists, teachers, music conductors, tradies, geologists, philosophers, and surf lifesavers.

The recruitment drive will showcase the different career paths and traits that are wanted for field officers, analysts and technologists.

Burgess said his path to becoming a spy was also unconventional and began when he wanted to become an electronics engineer.

He was the first person in his family to go to university. His dad was a storeman and his mum was a cleaner, so he spent a year unpacking boxes and stacking bookshelves to save money, he said.

“After I graduated, I saw a mysterious job ad in the newspaper. When I rang for more information, I was greeted with ‘hello’, I said ‘hello’, and the response was ‘hello…’,” Burgess said.

“It turned out to be my entry into the secretive world of intelligence. The real secret to a great career is doing something you love, something that matters.”

Link to follow Yahoo Finance careers Flipboard.
Link to follow Yahoo Finance careers Flipboard.

ASIO is also planning on turning recruitment efforts towards YouTube and Twitter to find the next generation of spies.

Entry level graduate jobs at the agency will start you off on $58,330 plus 15.4 per cent super but once you make it through the training will be boosted to $82,281 plus 15.4 per cent super.

If you want to find out if you have what it takes to be a spy, you can take The Most Interesting Job Interview.

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